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Phantasmagoria: The Struggle
Synopsis Phantasmagoria: The Struggle is a one-shot in a series of fanfiction in Bleach: The Illusions of Nagato Yagami. This story takes place after the Phantasmagoria: Veiled Perceptions fanfic. Since then, Yagami has risen in the ranks of the Gotei 13, moved from his previous squadron into the Onmitsukido and is now qualifying for Captaincy of the 2nd Division. As he does not possess Bankai, he must do battle to obtain Captaincy, this is that tale. A Gentle Conflict He had suspected that he would be do battle against one of the Captains, but he was quite surprised, even if he outwardly didn't show it that he would be fighting against none other than... 4th Division Captain - Unohana Retsu. He recalled the numerous rumors regarding her fearsome swordsmanship, and her mastery of kido. She was also one of the oldest of the Captains, having been the first and only Captain of the 4th Division for well over 2,000 years. But no matter, whether he won or lost today, he would test himself against all the gods and demons that were to come thereafter. She stepped into the fighting area with the grace of a goddess, her hair uncharacteristically braided behind her back, with her nodachi secured to her right, her were eyes closed and a soft smile adorned her face. She was beautiful, radiant like an angel, one wouldn't think that someone so warm, and soft-spoken would be one of the strongest Captains in all of Soul Society. She came to a stop, her eyes opening gazing and into his own. She slowly nodded, and it was then he knew that their battle was about to begin. With this in mind Kenshin settled into a low stance his right hand overing hover the hilt of his sword. She drew her own and prepared herself, stepping into a kendo stance. No words were spoken. Unohana simply disappeared, Kenshin flickered, a brief after-image in his wake. Its the hardest and most dangerous battle of his entire life. Unohana Retsu's mastery in Kido was beyond the scope of anything he could have anticipated. No incantations, not even the name of the spell are spoken as she unleashes wave after wave of spells. Almost casually, destructive spells numbering 80 and higher are thrown about the battlefield as Kenshin desperately attempts to defend against the onslaught. Her strategy was simple, brutal and efficient, as she weaved together binding spells complimenting destructive spells to create this labyrinth of magic that would have obliterated any other. But Kenshin was unlike other Shinigami. From the moment the battle began he realized the difference in skill almost immediately. There was an overwhelming disadvantage in regards to magic, his knowledge and proficiency were literally a thousand years too early to match the might of Unohana Retsu. Neither did he have the raw skill or experience as she did in swordsmanship, and his spiritual power was barely even half of her own. But he was a master when it came to deception and misdirection. He would find an opening, and if one didnt exist, well...he'd just have to make one. Kenshin skillfully wove his web of decpetion, using his speed to appear as nothing more than a flicker across the battlefield, countering her own destructive spells with layered binding spells, using after-images to confuse her and using his own slew of kido to force her into his pace. Despite what everyone else may have thought, all magic had at least one counter, and true masters knew the appropriate and most efficient ones to use. With that in mind it just a matter of choosing the right sequence of kido, and forcing her to counter his own. It was just a matter of time before he had his opening. And he didnt have to wait long before he saw his opportunity. Using the brief instant her spiritual energy skyrockets as she prepared to cast her next magical attack, he used that moment to activate his trap. Before she could even finish her spell, she's forced to abandon the offense as the binding spells he littered across the battlefield begin to systematically activate unleashing a barrage of destructive magic he had sealed away for just this moment, using her raised spiritual pressure as homing beacon, she could do nothing but put up a defensive barrier to protect herself. The destructive spells quickly shattered her barrier, and an instant later he closed the gap, pressing his advantage as he engaged her melee. He charged right into a trap. With over two-thousand years of experience under her, for one such as Unohana - seeing through his tactics was child's play and so she used his own trap against him. While he had been constructing it, she had used his own logic against him, countering the counter to his counter. She had used contingent of binding spells that would disrupt the sequence of his destructive magic causing them to prematurely blow up in his face - in this case, literally. Her barrier served as the final catalyst, briefly masking her own spiritual power, designating himself as the new target. He was caught in the crossfire of several spells firing off around him, as her second barrier phased into existence a split-second before the massive explosion. Using the smoke as cover she pressed her advantage, simply appearing by blind side unleashing an onslaught of thunderous attacks that could shatter mountains whole, and quickly launching mid to low level destructive spells in rapid sequence whenever the opportunity presents itself. Forced onto the defensive again, Kenshin struggled through his magical burns to parry and evade her attacks, and realizing with abject horror why Unohana's swordsmanship was feared throughout Soul Society. It was as though he were battling an ancient demon god of combat, her attacks nothing more than a faint blur of steel, frightening precision and unrelenting ferocity. The gap in skill between them was obvious, even more so with his injuries, but he refused to submit. He capitalized on the advantages he did have, switching from stance to stance forcing her to reanalyze his fighting style each time, never giving her enough time to find his rhythm. His own speed with the sword was enough to close the gap in speed, and his mastery in feints were enough to give him just enough of edge that he isn't completely overwhelmed. It was one of the longest battles for Captaincy in Soul Society, its intensity only increasing as time passed. Kenshin's tenacity, deceptive strategies, and inhuman will had impressed the spectating Captains. Whether he won or not, he had gained their respect. And the battle raged on. --- Kenshin evaded her downward strike flash stepping out of his previous space, appearing above her, with his sword screeching in a wide arc. Using her own momentum Unohana continued forward spinning on her front heel as she turned to parry his attack. Their swords crashed together in an eruption of sparks, as the sheer force launches Kenshin back through air. Grunting in pain as the shockwave aggravated his growing number of injuries he spun mid-flight using the own propulsion to lend him speed. Before he could even land however, Unohana thrusts her rear hand forward, and hellfire roared, descending upon him with all of the palpable fanfare of meteor. Whipping his sword to his forefront, he utters the name of his binding spell, as a brillant light illumuniates around him, a field phasing in front of him absorbing the current of demon magic. Landing into a roll, he casts another binding spell to his side, and instantly a reflective field shimmer into existence, as he hurls his own destructive spell, a single syllable leaving his lips as a beam of golden energy is launched from his outstretched hand, reflecting off of the shield he just generated at even higher speeds towards his opponent. Then he flash stepped to the left intent on catching Unohana in a pincer attack. As her destructive spell was absorbed by the barrier he erected, her death god perceptions honed in on a brief spike of spiritual power. Without a second thought, she charged forward, as gold lightning surged past her, crashing into the space she just exited. Bringing her sword forward, she caught Yagami by surprise mid-step, as her arms blurred into hundreds of attacks raining down upon him. Once again it was his speed that saved him from instant death, bringing forth his enhanced speed their swords clashed again and again, the force echoing outward blowing away dust and debris. With the next clash, she jerked her weapon downward, bringing his along with it, pausing briefly after. Kenshin took note of this, as his eyes widened before he was enveloped in a wave of cackling blue lightning. Like the birth of a thunder god awakened from a millennia long slumber, the explosion burst outward illuminating all of Soul Society in its brilliance! Unohana stood at its epicenter, surrounded by a yellow shimmering field, her eyes darting shifting, as they searched for her opponent through the smoke. Kenshins form lept upward through the smoke, his left arm spasming as electricity danced across it. He had been forced to block the attack with a weak binding spell, but the destructive magic had quickly broken through temporarily incapacitating his arm. Gritting his teeth in pain, he swept his sword arm out in front of him quickly uttering his incantation as an explosive gale of slicing winds screeched forward, dispersing the cloud. The two opponents eyes met briefly, Unohana's uninjured form cooly gazing upon Kenshin's nearly broken body as he descended to the ground, landing in a low crouch. His ragged breaths broke the silence, as he cradled his arm and slipped it into his hakama as a makeshift sling. Her protective field dissipated, as she took a few cautious steps forward, her sword at ready, waiting for Kenshin to make the next move. Last Stand Behind the Scenes *This is an attempt to write a battle from the 3rd party perspective. Ive seen battles written in this manner and some have turned out quite good, despite the lack of intricate details. And I'm a big Unohana fan, so forgive me if she comes off as ungodly powerful. *Thanks to input I've also included descriptions of their battle with more detail. Honestly I'm just trying to find a good middle ground for both writing stories and how I should conduct myself in an RP. *I'm aware that no Captain has exhibited the ability to cast an incantationless Kido without even speaking its name, but I figure that once you reach a high enough level, executing Kido is entirely a mental thing. Considering that I have her as over 2000 years old, thats plenty of time to learn and master this skill. My characters wont ever achieve it, but may learn to do so for a few select spells. Category:Illuminate Void Category:Fanfiction